"By The Numbers" presented by Compass Minerals is a season-long series that gives a statistical preview of every Sporting match. To visit the series archive, click here.
Hot off a 4-1 home win over the Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City will return to the friendly confines of Children's Mercy Park on Wednesday to host regional rivals FC Dallas at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Match tickets are available online at SeatGeek, including the Sporting U Pass featuring $15 Supporters' Stand tickets for college students and the Coca-Cola Friends & Family 4-Pack featuring four Domino's pizzas, four 20-ounce Coca-Cola products and four tickets for $100. The game will also kick off Pride Month as the club celebrates Soccer For All in collaboration with the Kansas City Pride Community Alliance.
Fans following from home can catch the action live on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM as a pair of MLS originals continue to navigate a busy stretch of the 2023 campaign.
We take a statistical look at the matchup in our newest edition of By the Numbers, presented by Compass Minerals.
Head-to-Head
- The clubs last met on March 18 at Toyota Stadium as FC Dallas overcame an early Daniel Salloi goal to win 2-1 with second-half goals from Alan Velasco and Jesus Ferreira. Dallas has won the last two meetings by a 2-1 scoreline.
- Sporting hosted Dallas twice in 2022, earning a 2-2 regular season draw on April 30 before prevailing in a 4-2 extra-time thriller in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on May 10.
- Sporting are 0-4-2 in their last six regular season home meetings against Dallas at Children’s Mercy Park, a skid that began in July 2018. Sporting’s last regular season home win against Dallas came by a 2-0 scoreline on Aug. 19, 2017.
- Sporting are 2-7-2 in their last 11 regular season meetings against Dallas since 2019.
- Sporting forward Daniel Salloi has seven goals and two assists in 14 regular season appearances against Dallas.
- Sporting defender Graham Zusi has four goals and eight assists in 23 regular season appearances against Dallas. Those 12 total goal contributions against Dallas are his most versus any MLS opponent.
- Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira has five goals and two assists in 10 regular season appearances against Sporting.
- Dallas midfielder Paul Arriola has scored or assisted in each of his last four regular season appearances against Sporting, including a goal and an assist when the clubs last met on Oct. 9, 2022.
- Dallas owns a narrow edge in the all-time regular season series, posting a 30-27-14 record through 71 meetings. Sporting’s 30 regular season losses against Dallas are their most versus any MLS opponent.
Sporting Kansas City
- 2023 MLS record: 3-8-4, 13 points (12th in West | 13 GF, 22 GA)
- 2023 MLS home record: 2-3-1 (8 GF, 8 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 3-1-1 (W-W-T-L-W)
- Sporting have recorded 10 goals and 14 assists in their last five MLS matches after recording three goals and one assist in their first 10 league games of the season.
- Sporting are 4-0-0 when scoring multiple goals this season in all competitions and 0-9-4 when scoring one or fewer.
- Sporting scored three second-half goals in Sunday’s 4-1 home win over Portland, equaling the club’s total through the first 14 games of the season.
- Sunday’s 4-1 win was Sporting’s first comeback victory in MLS play since prevailing 2-1 at CF Montreal on July 9, 2022. It was the club’s first comeback win at home in MLS play since prevailing 2-1 vs. LAFC on June 26, 2021.
- Sporting have scored seven goals in their last two MLS home matches after scoring one in their first four.
- Sporting have scored four goals in four of the club’s last 12 regular season home games dating back to Aug. 6, 2022.
- Forward Daniel Salloi scored his club record-breaking 14th game-winning goal in regular season play in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Portland. He has scored or assisted on eight of Sporting’s 16 goals this season in all competitions (four goals, four assists). Salloi leads MLS in progressive carries (58) while ranking third in shots on target (19), fifth in successful crosses from open play (13), sixth in carries into the penalty area (20), seventh in expected assists (3.6)
- Midfielder Erik Thommy has two goals and two assists in five MLS appearances this month. He bagged the equalizer in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Portland as Sporting improved to 5-0-0 when Thommy scores in the regular season (dating back to his arrival in 2022).
- Defender Graham Zusi recorded the game-winning assist on Sunday, moving into a tie for sixth in MLS history with 29 game-winning assists in the regular season (one shy of a tie for fifth).
- Midfielder Felipe Hernandez came off the bench to score Sporting’s fourth goal of Sunday’s win on an assist from midfielder Roger Espinoza, who took sole possession of fourth place in club history with 44 regular season assists in his career.
- Defender Tim Leibold and forward Marinos Tzionis recorded their first MLS assists in Sunday’s win over Portland.
- Sporting’s second-half substitutes combined for four goal contributions in the win over Portland, with a goal from Hernandez and assists for Leibold, Zusi and Espinoza.
- Midfielder Remi Walter had started 56 straight regular season matches prior to missing Sunday’s win over Portland with a back injury. It was the fourth longest consecutive starts streak in club history and the second longest among field players. Walter leads MLS field players with 117 recoveries this season.
- Forward Alan Pulido has recorded a goal contribution in three of Sporting’s last five games, tallying a goal and two assists. Pulido has 25 total goal contributions (15 goals, 10 assists) in 34 career regular season starts and Sporting are 12-1-0 when Pulido scores in the regular season. Thommy ranks seventh in MLS in both shots (42) and shots on target (17).
- Defender Dany Rosero, who opened his MLS scoring account in Sporting’s 3-0 win over Minnesota on May 13, has played all 900 MLS minutes since debuting on April 1.
- Since the start of 2020, Sporting are 18-7-6 in the regular season when all three of the club’s Designated Players play in the same match (1.9 goals per game, 1.94 points per game). The team is 25-33-15 without at least one Designated Player during that time (1.3 goals per game, 1.2 points per game). Sporting’s DPs from 2018-2020 were Alan Pulido, Gadi Kinda and Johnny Russell. The club’s DPs in 2023 are Pulido, Kind and Erik Thommy.
- Sporting are the only MLS team to have three different goalkeepers play at least four matches this season (Tim Melia 7 games, John Pulskamp 5 games, Kendall McIntosh 4 games).
FC Dallas
- 2023 MLS record: 6-3-5, 23 points (4th in West | 17 GF, 14 GA)
- 2023 MLS away record: 2-2-3 (6 GF, 7 GA)
- Last five MLS matches: 2-0-3 (T-W-W-T-T)
- Dallas’ three defeats are tied for third fewest in MLS, more than only LAFC and FC Cincinnati (one).
- Dallas are unbeaten in five league matches, posting a 2-0-3 record ever since falling 3-1 at New York City FC on April 22.
- Five of Dallas’ six league wins have come by a one-goal margin. Their five one-goal wins are tied for second most in MLS.
- Dallas has an MLS-best 3-3-1 record when conceding the first goal this season. Their 10 points gained from losing positions are tied with Philadelphia for the most in the league.
- Dallas are 3-0-3 when scoring first this season and 2-0-0 when leading at halftime.
- Dallas have an average shot distance of 15.5 yards, the shortest in MLS.
- Dallas are one of six MLS clubs yet to receive a penalty kick this season.
- Dallas rank third in MLS with a dribble success rate of 55.8%.
- Forward Jesus Ferreira is tied for fourth in MLS with eight goals and leads the league with five match-winning goals. He and Marco Farfan are the only Dallas players to feature in all 14 MLS matches this season and are tied for the team lead with 13 starts apiece.
- Midfielder Alan Velasco ranks seven in MLS with 33 successful dribbles.
- Midfielder Paul Arriola is tied for sixth in MLS with eight through balls.
- Goalkeeper Maarten Paes ranks seventh in MLS in goals against average (1.00) and 10th in save percentage (75.5%).
Milestones and Miscellany
- Children’s Mercy Park is one shy of its 175th MLS sellout (regular season and playoffs).
- Among all players and coaches in league history, Sporting manager Peter Vermes is tied with New England head coach Bruce Arena for the most combined wins (292) in MLS matches (regular season and postseason).
- Forward Daniel Salloi has 52 goals in all competitions, tied with Davy Arnaud for fourth most in club history and three behind Johnny Russell in third.
- Midfielder Roger Espinoza has made 285 regular season starts for Sporting, tied with Matt Besler for second most in club history.
- Forward Khiry Shelton is one shy of 100 starts in his MLS regular season career.
